Disclaimer not mine
A Family Affair?
"Ruth." She looked up as her name was called over the general hub of the Grid. "Have you been going through my files again?"
"No Shaun." Ruth lied easily at the analyst from Section A.
"What the Hell happened to you? You remember this is a desk job?" The friendly Welshman smiled at her. Ruth nodded.
"Car accident. I was not in the field." Ruth looked up at him. "What can I do for you?"
"Make your little hacking."
"I do not hack." Ruth almost hissed.
"Oh come on Ruth. Three years and no one tried to get into my system. Then you come back from some weird black op and suddenly."
"I did not hack your files." Ruth stated. "I had a look. That's all. If you didn't have an allergy to sharing information then I wouldn't have to do it. It's insane. We are on the same side." Ruth held his gaze, aware Calum was watching. "I am up to by eyes in work so if you don't need anything else."
"Ok, ok." Shaun smiled at her. "Just be careful. No one has been able to get into my system, if it wasn't for the pyramid wall I put in then I would never have known anyone had looked."
"Goodbye Shaun." Calum stated as he appeared behind the older man.
"Yeah." Shaun glanced at the techi before walking out of the Grid. Ruth shook her head, clearly angry.
"Sorry, was I out of order?" Calum frowned, aware that Harry had been pacing his office while talking on the phone had missed the whole exchange.
"No." Ruth smiled slightly. "You stopped me saying something I really shouldn't."
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Zoe shoved her hands in her pockets as she looked across the park. She knew Beth and Erin were listening to the meeting with Dimitri in the ops van while Lucas and Adam were somewhere in the park. The bandstand was freezing, the early morning sunshine deceptive as she waited for the younger woman. Parts of Ruth's analysis sprang to mind and she knew it was going to be difficult, if not impossible to turn the woman.
"You waiting for me?" A sharp cockney accent hit her ears before she saw her.
"Tracey?"
"Yeah."
"Georgie said it would be worth meeting you." Zoe stated, aware that the woman with the dirty blonde hair was probably carrying some sort of weapon. "Did he tell you?"
"Yeah." Tracey smirked. "You know Georgie. Full of himself, you sure you want to be involved in all this. Pretty thing like you?"
"My husband was in that prison." Zoe lied. "I want to know what is going on. What your father and husband are up to."
"And why is that?"
"Because my old man tells me about your big plans. About how you are going to change the world. You and your dad. Now my husband is in another nick, miles away. All courtesy of your handiwork with that damn riot." Zoe lied fluently. "I want to know if it is worth it. And if I can help." Zoe listened to Lucas talk quietly in her earpiece. It was obvious he was worried about her pushing the other woman too far. She had been there to get information, now she had practically volunteered to put herself under cover. Zoe glared at the woman in front of her as Tracey smiled.
"Ok, ok. Fair point. Your old man got moved to a nick the other end of the country. No wonder you're pissed off. What's his name?"
"Alan." Zoe lied. Adam swore slightly as Zoe remained poker faced. It was something they hadn't planned. Zoe turned her back and rested on the rail around the bandstand.
"Alan? Ok, well. If you are serious about this then meet me in Cafe Turino tomorrow. 4pm."
"No." Zoe turned back to her. "I am sick of you calling the shots. I don't like you and I don't trust you." Zoe pulled herself up to her full height, making her at least an inch shorter than the woman she was facing, despite the heels she wore.
"Well, can't say I'm going to add you as a friend on Facebook." Tracey sneered as Zoe narrowed her eyes.
"My husband would have been released in a couple of months if he hadn't got involved with your father. Getting him to a point where he'll beat the crap out of someone and end up in a riot has to be worth something. I want to know what."
"You have no idea." Tracey stared at her. "It is too big for a pretty little girl like you to work out." Zoe glanced at her shoes for a moment before stepping forward. Her voice menacingly low.
"Listen to me. I served ten years in prison for a murder I was wrongly convicted of." Adam began warning her to back off as Tracey grabbed her wrist. "You have no idea who you are dealing with. Now all I know is Alan mentioned something about a Jamie and making the world see what was going on around them. Changing this world." Zoe pulled her hand away. "Now why don't you stop the hard man crap and tell me what all this is about."
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"She did what?" Harry marched back on to the Grid at the same time Ros and Lucas reentered.
"Zoe had to gain her trust." Zaf began to defend his fiance. Adam closed his eyes.
"We were almost killed undercover. Zoe may well be on her own. We have no leads on Teflon Tessa or her grubby little nephew. If Zoe goes in undercover and either Tessa or Jools turn up she could be recognised immediately."
"I am here." Zoe tucked her hair behind her ears. Ros couldn't help the wry smile as Beth raised an eyebrow.
"For the moment. May I remind you of what has gone on when you were undercover? Of what has happened to undercover officers in the past? If this goes tits up there is very little any of us could do for you. And why the hell did you tell her you were an ex con?"
"She doesn't know who I am. I gave her a false name and she knows a contact of mine."
"Who may very well be playing both sides." Ros interjected. "You are not doing this alone. When are you meeting her?"
"Rosemount Hill House. 10 am tomorrow. Apparently, if I am to be more involved there are people I need to meet." Zoe stared at Harry as she spoke. "I have been undercover before and I am more aware of the risks than most people. I saw Helen after." She paused as Harry and Malcolm exchanged glances. "I've seen the worst of outcomes."
"You do not go in alone." Harry stated. "I don't care what this woman thinks she is doing but I want her in the Interview Room explaining herself the moment we have proof."
"I'll do it." Erin watched as Zoe looked up.
"Telflon Tessa, as you call her may recognise Zoe but she never met me. I can go with Zoe tomorrow." Harry nodded as Ros frowned slightly, wondering what was going to become of her team. The riot at the prison had been the start of something much bigger but none of them had any idea what.
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"Zo." Zaf followed his fiance into the small kitchenette on the edge of the Grid. "Why?"
"Why am I doing this?" She handed him a carton of milk as she spoke. "Sniff that. Calum was supposed to buy milk."
"That." Zaf wrinkled his nose before emptying the carton down the sink. "Should be classed as a weapon of mass destruction." Zoe smiled.
"Black coffee then."
"Yeah." Zaf nodded. "Be careful. Zo, I never knew Helen but I knew what she was doing when she died. I heard about the way Tom and her were treated. I know what happened to Adam and Jo. To Beth and Ros at that damn school. If anything." He closed his eyes. "If anything should go wrong. If."
"Zaf." She stepped closer to him. "This is me, my job."
"You've been a desk officer more or less since Danny was born."
"And now I am going back into the field." She touched his arm. "I can do my job."
"Yeah." Zaf sighed. "I just don't want to be a single dad. That's all." He stepped back at her as Tariq began yelling across the Grid.
"We better." Zoe nodded towards the door before leaving the kitchenette as Harry left his office to see what the fuss is about.
"Tariq." Harry yelled. "Have you been eating blue smarties again? Malcolm what did I tell you about that boy and e numbers?"
Ruth smirked as Tariq immediately calmed down.
"I've done it."
"What?" Lucas asked as he picked up his leather jacket. Ros raised an eyebrow.
"I've found a location for Tessa."
"Are you sure?" Ros asked. The baby of the team nodded.
"Yeah. Well, she has been there in the last few hours. I just went through every trace of CCTV there is from the time Harry's cover was blown until lunchtime today. Sorry it's taken so long."
"That was three days ago." Alec smirked.
"Good work." Harry smiled as the young boy looked away. "Ros? Shall we?"
"About time I paid an old friend a visit." Ros narrowed her eyes before taking the address from Tariq and following Harry out of the Pods.
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A/N filler chapter. If anyone is reading this please review.